At the 2013 National Association of Rocketry’s annual technical conference, NARCON, Prof. Lynn Cominsky gave a talk that covered the current status of the S4 project; from payload design and testing to educator’s guidebook status to upcoming events and milestones, such as the teacher training coming up in July of this year.
Payload version 0.4
Held in Santa Maria, CA., Balloon Fest is organized by Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, and brings secondary school students together to launch their payloads on tethered balloons with a maximum altitude of 1000 feet.
At the Dec, 2012 Balloon Fest, Logan Hill and student Kevin Zack re-tested the barometric pressure and GPS payload.
The Association of Experimental Rocketry of the Pacific (AeroPAC) prefecture of the Tripoli Rocketry Association sponsors ARLISS – A Rocket Launch for International Student Satellites. Dr. Lynn Cominsky, Kevin John, and Kevin Zack gained their level 2 certifications at ARLISS.
High-powered rocketry experts from AeroPAC launch student-built satellites at Black Rock, Nevada, each year in September. These payloads attain altitudes ranging from thousands of feet to 100,000 feet and beyond. The videos below were shown in an internet broadcast through the Virtual Classroom on 9/13/12.
Southwest of Fresno, Dairy Aire is a high-power rocket launch that is organized by Tripoli Central California (TCC) which has a 17,000 foot waiver and flies up to and including M class motors.
For the 2012 Dairy Aire launch, Logan Hill and student Kevin Zack launched the revised Balloon Fest payload.
Second version of the prototype payload. The payload now has a barometric and temperature sensor added to the GPS and SD writer base payload. Shown is the payload in the Endeavour’s housing.
Organized by Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, Balloon Fest brings secondary school students together to launch their payloads on tethered balloons with a maximum altitude of 1000 feet.
At the 2012 Balloon Fest, Logan Hill and student Kevin Zack tested the barometric pressure and GPS payload.
The balloon payload; on its way up to 1000 feet to test the barometric pressure and temperature sensors.
Hosted by the Livermore Unit of the National Association of Rocketry (LUNAR) which is Section #534 of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), the Snow Ranch launch events take place 30 miles east of Stockton. Dr. Lynn Cominsky and Kevin John received their level 1 certifications for flights at Snow Ranch and Logan Hill received both his level 1 and 2 certifications there.
Flights at Snow Ranch are capped at M class motors and they have a 15,000 ft altitude waiver. In 2012, Lynn Cominsky, Kevin John, and student assistant Kevin Zack tested prototype payloads.
From left to right; Kevin Zack, Kevin John, and Dr. Cominsky standing with Kevin John’s rocket loaded with a barometric pressure and GPS CanSat and J350 engine.
